I'd certainly say that leaving well enough alone is the answer. I thought the system worked fairly well. There were almost no complaints or big issues that I recall when this was brought in and went into operation in the House. I thought the reporting system seemed to work quite well. Of course, I have no knowledge of the details of it, but to me it was fair and equitable. I presume that if a member didn't report something that they should have, they would hear about it, and it then got reported.
I think the system works quite well. I think the public frankly doesn't need all this information, because for the receptions that members are invited to, and the big meals and dinners that there's a big crowd at, there are more than just MPs there. There are usually some media people, so they can be aware of who has attended. If they wanted to make a list, they could do it.
I don't think the organizers of the event are worried about keeping secret the list of those who attended. That's certainly my impression. It's a fairly public thing. You're given a name tag. The name tags are all sitting there at the beginning of the event. If somebody is really determined to find out who went, they can go and look and at least find the list of people who accepted an invitation, because their names are on the tags. As to whether or not they show up, who knows?
But it's not a secret sort of networking thing. It's quite public, in my experience. When I'd go to an event, I'd normally run into colleagues from other parties at it. You could have a chat and mix and mingle. Sometimes you didn't even speak to one of the lobby people, if you can call them “lobby people”, the people who were the hosts organizing the event and trying to get members onside for something, if that was the purpose of it. You shook their hand at the door, and then you were just talking with other MPs for most of the evening. You might hear a speech, but that's it.
I just don't think it's something the public should be worried about. Yes, people like to lobby members, but members of the public can come and have an appointment in your office and meet with you and tell you what they think about something. Do we say that's bad? No. It happens in constituency offices all the time. Members of the public get upset about some issue and they come to see their MP and talk about it, or they talk to the staff. It may or may not have any impact on what you do in terms of your voting on the bill in question or pushing the matter with the minister or whatever, but they get their point across. It makes their day. If they leave a package of something for you, such as a book to read on the subject, is that a gift that you then have to declare because they want you to read this book?
As I say, I think having the stuff.... We give things away too when they're there: papers, Hansards, and all kinds of stuff that we give out. Does that count as a gift? Is that something we should be putting in as an expense? I don't think so.
We're in a public relations work environment, where you have to deal with people with differing views. You're going to meet them in different places and different circumstances. Some of these will be absolutely free of cost because they'll be in your office—aside from the rent, and you're not worried about that expense—and at other times it'll be at a reception or a bar where somebody's going to pick up a meal, or a lunch, or a beer or whatever. I don't think that's something we need to worry about reporting to the public, to be honest, because other people in other jobs are doing exactly the same thing, and they're not making those reports.
I think as members of Parliament we give away a lot of information in terms of our personal financial situation, and of course all the expenses of the office are monitored by the board, and our salary is public. I feel that the House does a very good job of putting out what's necessary for the public on these matters.
